Federal Grants

Federal Pell Grant

The Federal Pell Grant is a federally funded program designed to assist students from low income families. Federal Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor’s, master’s or professional degree. Please note as of July 1, 2012, students will only be eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant for 12 full-time semesters (or its equivalent). The amount of the award varies based on the expected family contribution (EFC) as calculated by the FAFSA.

Range Award-FT

Range EFC-FT

12/13

$5,550 - $602

$0 - $4,995

13/14

$5,645 - $605

$0 - $5,081

14/15

$5,730 - $602

$0 - $5,157

15/16

$5,775 - $626

$0 - $5,198

Awards will also vary based on enrollment hours (at the end of the add/drop period each term) as illustrated by the table below.

Number of hours enrolled per term

Percentage of Federal Pell Grant

12+ hours

100% of award

9-11 hours

75% of award

6-8 hours

50% of award

1-5 hours

25% of award

Please Note: For financial aid purposes, the enrollment chart above applies to all terms, including the summer term.

Federal Pell Grant awards are based upon actual attendance in the classes for which a student is registered. If the student doesn't begin attendance in all of his or her classes, resulting in a change in the student's enrollment status, the Federal regulations require that the Federal Pell Grant be recalculated based upon the student's lower enrollment status. A student is considered to have begun attendance in all of his or her classes if the student attends at least one day of class for each course in which that student's enrollment status was determined for Federal Pell Grant eligibility. Following the conclusion of each semester, the OSFA will work with the various academic departments to verify that students began attendance in all classes. For those students in which we are unable to document at least one day of attendance, their awards would be recalculated accordingly and the student would be responsible to repay these funds.

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant

You may be eligible to receive the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant if you are not eligible for a Federal Pell Grant on the basis of your Expected Family Contribution but meet the remaining Federal Pell Grant eligibility requirements, and your parent or guardian was a member of the U.S. armed forces and died as a result of military service performed in Iraq or Afghanistan after the events of 9/11, and you were under 24 years old or enrolled in college at least part-time at the time of your parent's or guardian's death. The grant award is equal to the amount of a maximum Federal Pell Grant for the award year but cannot exceed your cost of attendance for that award year.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

Like the Federal Pell Grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is a federally funded program designed to assist students from low income families. Only students who are eligible to receive the Federal Pell Grant, have an EFC of $0 and are enrolled at least half time (6 hours a semester) will be considered for the FSEOG. Funding for this program is specific to each university and is very limited, thus not all students who meet the above criteria will be awarded the FSEOG. Awards range from $500 to $1,000 for the full academic year.

Undergraduate, post-baccalaureate and graduate students may be eligible to receive the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant. To be eligible for the TEACH Grant, students must complete the FAFSA, meet all the eligibility criteria for federal aid, be enrolled in course work in a high need field of study and meet certain academic achievement requirements (generally scoring above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test or having a 3.25 cumulative GPA).

On an annual basis students must also complete TEACH Grant Counseling and sign an Agreement to Serve wherein they agree to serve as a full time teacher in a high need field that serves low income students for at least four academic years within eight years of completing the program for which they received the TEACH Grant. For those who received a TEACH Grant, it's important to keep in touch with the U.S. Department of Education. When a student graduates or withdraws, they must complete TEACH Grant Exit Counseling.

Students may receive up to $4,000 annually (fall, spring and summer) if they are full time, but will receive a lesser amount if they are enrolled less than full time. Please note that due to sequestration, the maximum award amount is adjusted every October 1st and may be less than $4,000. Please see the charts below for undergraduate and graduate enrollment levels and award eligibility:

Undergraduate

Number of hours enrolled per term

Percentage of Federal TEACH Grant

12+ hours

100% of award

9-11 hours

75% of award

6-8 hours

50% of award

1-5 hours

25% of award

Graduate

Number of hours enrolled per term

Percentage of Federal TEACH Grant

9+ hours

100% of award

8 hours

75% of award

5-7 hours

50% of award

1-4 hours

25% of award

The cumulative maximum an undergraduate or a student enrolled in a post-baccalaureate teacher credential program may receive is $16,000 and the cumulative maximum for a graduate student is $8,000.

VERY IMPORTANT: If the student does not complete the service obligation, the grant will retroactively convert to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, including interest accrued over all the years since receiving the award.